Pink Monsoon
by Abicion
Summary: Take it easy, Mai.  Akane doesn't fight you in this one.


_"... did that sick bastard just make _**_another_**_ Sentinel Prime reference?"_  
>- someone reading this story<p>

* * *

><p>The retrieval of Estelle was a success. No one in Yuri's party had suspected that the wandering hermit Raven lived a dual life as the imperial soldier Schwann, allowing the traitor to easily whisk Estelle away at an opportune moment. Now she was in imperial hands, where she belonged, and Alexei could proceed with his diabolical plan.<p>

Alexei held his proudest accomplishment in his hand: A perfect duplicate of the legendary Dein Nomos sword. To his side stood Schwann, dressed in full regalia and looking like he was at ends with himself. As a safety precaution, a squad of guards filled much of the chamber's empty space. In the center of it all was the guest of honor herself, bound by her wrists and ankles to a flat metal structure resembling an upright table.

Schwann turned his attention toward his superior. His expression changed from deep regret to subdued curiosity before he spoke.

"What exactly are you planning to do with that thing, sir?"

Alexei took the weapon's hilt in both hands as he stared at the blade intently. An ingenious smirk then crossed his lips.

"It is, for all intents and purposes, the Dein Nomos. It should be able to generate just the jolt we need to awaken Lady Estellise's true self."

Schwann hung his head and sighed. His personal reservations were irrelevant. It wasn't his place to talk Alexei out of essentially torturing the prisoner, and any further questions would only be met with a long-winded explanation about how the Dein Nomos can modify surrounding aer levels and convert matter into energy and whatnot.

Estelle's eyes scanned the room as a storm of conflicting thoughts swirled through her head. The pink-haired noblegirl was not her usual perky self in the slightest. First, she was told her life was at the center of an ancient prophecy that hoped to save the world from total annihilation. Then she was kidnapped by her party's comic relief member, who seemed to have much more ominous plans for her. It was all too much for her naive mind to handle.

Her attention stopped on a small table. It was just out of her reach, assuming she had been able to reach forward. It was occupied by a matching sword and shield, the former of which she had heard Alexei refer to as the "Iron Maiden." Her textbook knowledge of weapons and her private combat tutoring allowed her to assess they had been personally fitted for her, but she dreaded thinking about what purpose they could serve.

She looked forward in response to the sound of footsteps, then gasped in fright when she saw Alexei approaching her with his invention. He offered a questionably warm gaze as he spoke toward her.

"Relax, milady. The pain you'll feel should be brief."

Estelle frantically shook her head in objection, trying to pull herself from her restraints to no avail. Tears began to form in her emerald eyes when they stared toward Alexei's sword. She shouted in desperation as she considered her likely fate.

"N-no! You're going to use that to turn me into some kind of monster!"

Alexei ignored her complaints and casually commenced with the procedure. He held the sword so it was only a hairbreadth away from stabbing Estelle's breast, then held his place in careful meditation. The tip of the sword soon interacted with Estelle's natural aura, sending a bolt of lightning coursing through her mostly paralyzed body.

Estelle threw her head back as far as the restraining platform would allow and screamed in agony. While the sudden burst of energy faded, she continued to stare at the ceiling and mumbled a few short words in what could have only been an obscure foreign dialect. When she lowered her head, a certain change in ideals overtook her mind. Her sparkling eyes changed to solid green orbs. Her expression lacked any distinguishable emotion. Her ambitions were of a violent variety. As a result of these strange changes, what happened next only took a matter of seconds.

In an unexpected display of strength, Estelle freed herself of her restraints and advanced toward the table holding her weapons. The guards reacted in a defensive panic, and she reached her shield just in time to block a volley of arrows with her wrist. In almost the following instant, she was standing toe-to-toe with the entire flank. If she hadn't somehow teleported to their position, she had certainly moved faster than any human eye could follow. Once she was in place, however, she promptly slaughtered the entire group with a single elegant strike from the Iron Maiden. She didn't seem to mind a small amount of blood being splattered across her cheeks and the front of her pink dress.

Alexei was utterly baffled by the whole matter, but Schwann held on to enough of his wits to take guard. He drew his sword as Estelle sprung toward him, but the female combatant managed to incapacitate him by ducking low and sweeping him off his feet. When she turned to her final target, the Commandant barely had enough time to lift his weapon. The Iron Maiden crashed against the artificial Dein Nomos with resounding force, pushing Alexei to the ground and allowing Estelle to pin him on his back.

Alexei grit his teeth in anger and tried ruthlessly to throw Estelle away as he shouted.

"Cease this! Princess Estellise, I command you!"

Estelle continued to exert all her strength against Alexei's blockade, leaving him no hope of escape. She remained on equal footing as she narrowed her soulless eyes and coldly replied.

"I am a Child of the Full Moon. I do not take orders from you."

Alexei widened his eyes in bafflement as he resisted further. All of this was in complete defiance to what his research had lead him to believe.

"Nonsense! You're supposed to lend your power to whoever holds the Dein Nomos!"

Estelle's mouth slowly formed into a scowl. She was insulted by Alexei's logic.

"I have every intention of respecting those terms, but that worthless toy you wield is not the Dein Nomos. It is I who holds divine mandate over you."

She then began verbalizing her innermost thoughts, all while steadily holding her weapon against Alexei's.

"How could Khroma have been such a fool as to actually let you create that piece of trash? I was counting on her to prevent that sort of thing from ever happening."

The name Estelle mentioned caused Alexei to gasp in astonishment. What did his secretary have to do with any of this? As he considered this mystery, Estelle tossed her worries aside and shook her head. Determination now supported her words.

"No matter. I'll resolve this crisis myself."

A look of contempt grew on her face as she wrapped her gloved fingers more firmly around the hilt of her blade. She lowered her voice to a grim tone before speaking again.

"I hereby discharge you from duty."

With a final devoted thrust, she sent the end of her sword through Alexei's makeshift barrier. The fake Dein Nomos buckled and shattered to pieces as the Iron Maiden impaled Alexei through the throat. The great Commandant was dead, and a look of horror was forever frozen on his face.

By the time Schwann recovered and found the strength to sit up on his elbows, he realized Estelle was pointing her sword directly toward his neck. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she looked ready to deliver the fatal blow at the first opportunity, but she reassured him as calmly as her impatient character would allow.

"Be at peace, swine. I have some temporary use for you, so I will forgive your betrayal if you offer me your obedience."

After struggling to regain his voice, Schwann nervously questioned her.

"Wha-... what do you want?"

Estelle quickly answered. Her tone had not gained any sympathy since she previously spoke.

"Escort me back to Yuri. He's the only one with enough sense to listen to what the Children of the Full Moon have to say."

Schwann tried to offer a friendly grin before he replied with a frightful nod.

"Ye-... yes, ma'am!"

Estelle lowered the Iron Maiden to her side. Her eyes remained blank in texture, but they became more lively and round as her lips curled into a warm smile. When she conveyed her gratitude in a more gentle manner, it seemed as if a portion of her original persona had emerged.

"Thanks, Raven."

Schwann sighed in relief as he climbed back to his feet. When he left the chamber closely by Estelle's side, however, he couldn't rid himself of a constant feeling of unease. He had no idea where her new mindset could be heading, and this awkward relationship continued for the entire length of the journey he shared with her.


End file.
